Trolley-retriever.



S. P. KAY.

TROLLEY RETRIBVER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, 1911.

1,026,955. Patented May 21, 1912.

F11 65., A 2 f f 0 I (a? ZWMQ UNITED ETATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL P. KAY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TOv GEORGE F.

ROTH AND ONE IHIRD TO FRED B. GRAVES, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AND ONE- SIXTH T0 ARETHUSA KAY.

TROLLEY-RETRIEVER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL P. KAY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new arid useful Improvements in Trolley- Retrievers, of which the following is a specification.'

This invention relates to a device b which the trolley-pole of an electric car ma be retrieved, oi drawn down, automatically in case the trolley-wheel becomes accidentally dislodged from the trolley-wire or conductor.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the kind in question which is simple and compact, being adapted to be mounted on the ordinary trolley-arm support without substantial alteration therein.

The invention consists in the trolley-retriever hereinafter described, as it is defined inthe succeeding claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side-elevation of a trolley and a retriever embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on a larger scale, on the line 22 in Fig. 5, of the retrievermechanism in normal position; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the retriever in action; Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the operation of resetting the retriever; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 in Fig. 2; Fig. (3 is a section on the line 66 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the detents by which the retriever-mechanism is normally retained against operation.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a trolley of the form commonly employed on electric street-railways. The trolley-arm 10 carries the usual trolley-wheel 11, which ongages the trolley-wire or conductor 12. The lower end of the arm is pivoted, at 13, in a bracket 14 rising from the base-plate 15, and the base-plate is mounted, by the usual swivel-joint 16, upon the top of the car. The trolley-arm and wheel are supported normally by a supporting-swing 17, of which one end engages a lug 18 on the bracket 14. The other end of the spring 17 engages a head 19, fixed to a rod 20 which passes loosely through the lug 18 and is pivoted to a lug 21. on the trolley-arm. The head 19 is gmded upon rods 22 ')i'o cctmg from the bracket 14.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 1'7, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912. Serial No. 621,642.

The mechanism so far described is, or may be, of any ordinary or suitable construction. The novel retriever-mechanism is mounted in and upon two curved uprights 23 and 24, mounted upon the base-plate 15 and projecting upwardly on either side of the vertical plane of movement of the trolley-arm. These uprights are hollow, and their upper portions constitute guides for a saddleshaped member hereinafter designated as the retriever-slide. This member comprises plates 25, which slide within the uprights and have narrow portions extending through slots in the sides of the uprights. Arms 26 project upwardly from the plates between the uprights, and the arms are connected, at the top, by a cross-piece 27, which constitutes an abutment adapted to engage the trolley-arm when the retriever-mocha: nism operates.

The retriever-sl ide is actuated by two coiled springs 28 mounted in the upper extremities of the uprights. These springs are inserted through the upper endsof the uprights, and are held in place by caps 29 screwed upon said ends. In the normal position of the parts the retriever-springs 28 are compressed, the retriever-slide being retained in uppermost position by means of two detents 30, which are pivoted upon the slide, and which are held in engageu'ient with shoulders 31. on the uprights, as shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 7, by means of springs 32. So long as the trolley-wheel remains upon the trolley-wire the parts remain in the position just described, but in case the wheel accidentally slips from the wire, the supporting-spring 17 immediately raises the arm above normal position, as illustrated by the broken line 3-1 in'Fig. 1. By this movement the arm is brought into engagement with trip-fingers 33 projecting inwardly from the detents 30, and the arm thus rocks the detents out of engagement with the shoulders 31, and releases the retriever-slide. The slide immediately de scends, through the force of the retrieversprings, and the cross-piece 27 engages and depresses the trolley-arm into a position somewhat below its normal position, as illustrated by the broken line 35 in Fig. 1. By this action the trolley-arm is prevented from engaging and injuring or breaking the (moss-wires by which the conductor 12 is supported, and the retriever-slide continues to hold the arm in depressed position until the device is reset by the conductor of the car.

, The mechanism by which the retrieverslide is reset comprises a slide havingtwo parallel members 36 which move in curved guide-ways on the inner surfaces of the uprights and 2 1. The members 36 are connected by a cross-piece which is adapted to be engaged by the trolley-arm when the arm is sufliciently depressed. Each member 36 has rack teeth 38 formed thereon, which mesh with lpinions 39 journaled upon a cross-pin 40 extending between the uprights. The pinions also mesh with racks upon a second slide, which comprises two members 41 guided upon the uprights and connected at the bottom by a cross-piece 42. To reset the retrievermechanism the conductor of the car pulls upon the cord 43 with which the trolleyarm is provided for manual operation, and thereby depresses the trolley-arm into engagement with the cross-piece 37, thus depressing the racks 36, rotating the pinions 39 and raising the racks 41. Ihe upper ends of the latter members engage the lower ends of the retriever-slide, and thus raise the retriever-slide and compress the retriever-springs until the 'detents are above the shoulders 31. The operator then releases the trolley-arm, which is raised by the supporting-spring 17 until the trolleywheel again engages the conductor. 12, and the parts are then in position for normal operation- My invention is not limited to the details of construction and operation of the embodiment hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but may be embodied in various other forms withinthe nature of the invention, as it is defined in the succeeding claims.

I claim 1. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a downwardly-movable retriever-member having a portion located above the trolley-arm and adapted to engage and depress the arm when the retriever-member moves downwardly, a spring tending to move the retriever-member downwardly, and a detent by which said member is normally retained in raised. position, the detent having a portion located above and in the path of movement of the arm, so as to be engaged by the arm in its upward movement and trip the detent when the arm moves above a predetermined position.

2. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a downwardly-movable retriever-member having a portion located above the trolley-arm and adapted to engage the arm dlrectly when normal position,

the retriever-member moves downwardly, a spring tending to move the retriever-me1nber downwardly, a detent by which said member is normally retained in raised position, the detent having a portion located" above and directly in the path of movement of the arm, so as to be engaged by the arm in its upward movement and trip the detent when the arm moves above a predetermined position, and means operable by the arm,

when drawn below a predetermined position, to raise and reset the retriever-member.

3. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, an upright slide-guide fixed at the side of said plane, a retriever-slide mounted on said guide and provided with an abutment engageable with the trolley-arm when the slide is moved downwardly onthe guide, a spring tending so to move the slide, and a detent for normally retaining the slide in raised position, the detent having a portion located above and in the path of vertical movement of the trolley-arm, so that the detent may be engaged and tripped by the arm to releasethe slide when the arm moves above a predetermined position.

4. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, an upright slide-guide fixed at the side of said plane, a retriever-slide mounted on said guide and provided with an abutment engageable with the trolley-arm when the slide is moved downwardly on the guide, a spring tending so to move the slide, a detent for normally retaining the slide in raised position, the detent being operable to release the retrieverslide when the trolley-arm moves above a predetermined position, and resettingmechanism for raising the retriever-slide to said mechanism comprising a second slide mounted on said guide and downwardly-movable by engagement with the trolley-arm when the arm is drawn below a predetermined position.

5. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, a retrievermember movable downwardly and adapted to engage the trolley-arm in such downward movement to depress the arm, a spring for so moving the retriever-member, means for retaining the retriever-member normally in operative position, said means being operable by the arm to release the re triever-member when the arm moves above a predetermined position, and means for resetting the retriever-member, said means comprising a slide engageable by the trolley-arm when the arm is drawn below a pre- 1 determined position, a second slide upwardly-movable and adapted to engage and raise the retriever-member, and gearing connecting said slides whereby downward movement of the one causes upward movement of the other.

6. In combination with a trolley-arm pivoted to move in a vertical plane, two upright hollow slide-guides fixed at opposite sides of said plane, a saddle-shaped re triever-slide having its lower extremities slidingly movable within said guides, a

spring inclosed within each guide and interposed between the corresponding end of the slide and the upper end of the guide, and a m detent carried by the slide and adapted to engage an abutment on one of the slideto disengage the slide and permit it to be 15 de ressed b said s rings.

p y SAMUEL P. KAY. Witnesses: D. GURNEE, L. THON. 

